The Broncos (26-6) held Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) to a season-low 14 points in the opening half and advanced to the semifinals of the national tournament with a 69-48 victory.

Cal Poly, which will play today at the MassMutual Center, tied its school record for wins in a season while holding an opponent to 14 first-half points for the third time this year.

“I think our guys came out with confidence tonight,” Cal Poly Pomona coach Greg Kamansky said. “Defensively, we locked them down early and kind of took the wind out of their sails a little bit. We anticipated them making a comeback and they never quite got into it.

“I thought our team played really well tonight. We shot decently well, but our defense obviously dominated the game.”

The Pumas (20-12) could not solve Cal Poly’s matchup zone defense or match the Broncos in playoff experience. Saint Joseph’s was the only eighth seed to win a regional, and it showed.

“I think experience was definitely a factor and I think our guys came out nervous,” Saint Joseph’s coach Richard Davis said. “That’s probably the best defense I’ve seen all year.”

The Pumas came in as a potent offensive team averaging 82.2 points a game but faltered in the opening 20 minutes. The Pumas made just 16.7 percent (4 of 24) of their field goals. They were beaten 20-13 on the boards, missed all five of their 3-point attempts and turned the ball over seven times.

The Broncos made 17 of 28 field goals (60.7 percent), had eight players score collected five steals and turned the ball over four times.

Despite the 22-point halftime lead, the Broncos were not about to treat the final 20 minutes with care.Kamansky said he was not the least bit concerned with his players in the second half.

“With these two guys (Swift and Nasser) sitting next to me, I have no worries,” Kamansky said. “They led this team from day one of this year and I have the greatest confidence in the world that they’re not not going to show up and play for 20 minutes and not bring the effort.

“That has never happened since I coached them and I guarantee you it never will.”